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The Virginia legislature authorized a toll bridge over the Rivanna River in 1762 to provide another option for travelers who perviously had to cross the river by ferry or on Three Notched Road near the Woolen Mills. That toll bridge was never built and the bridge that eventually was constructed did not charge tolls, thus the moniker "Free Bridge."[1]

The name "free bridge" appears in several area businesses and groups, including Free Bridge Auto, which has moved from its original site immediately adjacent to the bridge, Free Bridge Chiropractic, and the Free Bridge Quintet, UVA's faculty jazz combo.

20th Century

State highway officials announced a plan in 1933 to build a new bridge to cross the Rivanna River several feet to the north that would route a highway around the center of Charlottesville along Long Street rather than through it. Citizens and merchants protested the plan asked for the bridge to be built along the existing right of way and into the city. [2] A delegation of officials including City Manager Seth Burnley met with state officials on August 12 of that year to make their case. [3] State Highway Commissioner Henry G. Shirley told the group that federal oversight was needed. [4]

1993 redesign

The bridge was redesigned and widened from four to seven lanes in 1993 by then-UVA professors Ellen Dunham-Jones and Jude LeBlanc. Dunham-Jones said that they attempted to create a "unique gateway into Charlottesville, not just a standard-issue widened stretch of highway happening to cross a waterway." The bridge has been acclaimed by the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects, being honored as an instance of excellence in design. A local photographer has described the structure as "an elegant, simply designed bridge."[1]

The bridge as constructed does not include a fishing platform and banner poles that were part of the original 1993 design.[1]

Work got underway in September 2013 with the first of seven meetings facilitated by the Institute for Environmental Negotiation. Stakeholders proposed and evaluated potential designs according to a variety of different metrics.

Statement of Problem for the project

"The US 250 link across the Rivanna River, known locally as Free Bridge, a key connection for local and regional traffic, but
continued use of this link will result in more congestion and economic development and public safety issues that must be
addressed. Regarding congestion, there are currently 53,000 vehicles per day on Free Bridge which has resulted in an overall
level of service of F. Modeling has shown that by 2040, approximately 70,000 vehicles a day will be using the bridge,
making the already failing level of service 25% worse.

"Over the years, several transportation solutions have been proposed for the corridor, but none have advanced past the exploratory stages. This is due to a myriad of factors, including the project location spanning two jurisdictions, the political realities of building new road projects, and the unique social, cultural and environmental constraints present when trying to build new facilities in an already developed environment. The previous studies have included Albemarle County Pantops Master Plan, the Eastern Connector Study Report and TJPDC’s Eastern Planning Initiative. [5]